2019 BPL Cup National Finals: Pauling’s South Perth side takes home 2019 BPL Cup
Glenn Pauling’s South Perth team had the better of their fellow club mates on Thursday afternoon to be crowned 2019 BPL Cup champions at Club Pine Rivers.
In what was an unusual situation, two South Perth sides, led by Pauling and David Mortley, qualified for the final which was broadcast live on Fox Sports, Kayo Sports & Sky Sport NZ.
Both sides showed signs of nerves early in the match, but slowly settled in, showing why they were able to advance through regional, state and national qualifiers to reach the final two.
After a slow start, Pauling’s side hit form midway through the first set, capitalising on their fifth end powerplay to cruise to a 9-3 first set victory.
The eventual champs carried their form into the start of the second set, leading 5-0 after 2 ends before the momentum swung.
Mortley and his teammates managed a four on their powerplay, doubling to a total of eight to go ahead 11-5 leading into the final end of the second set.
Despite their efforts, Mortley’s side conceded three shots which were doubled by the powerplay, drawing the set level at 11 a piece and handing Pauling and teammates Scott Walker and Ashley Sharp the championship.
“(Being in the final) wasn’t something we expected when we started the competition. We are a pretty small club of about 70-80 bowlers so to have two teams in the final was a bonus, we couldn’t lose,” Pauling said.
“It was a bit hard to switch on playing those guys. You don’t want to be too friendly since there is a national title on the line, but it was played in good spirit – we all like each other.”
Pauling said playing in a game broadcast across the country was an experience he will never forget.
“It was a bit hard to get used to, we were a bit out of our comfort zone but eventually we started to enjoy it. It was a great opportunity,” he said.
Sharp was awarded as the Most Valuable Player in the final for his efforts in helping his team across the line to a win.
BPL Cup Final
South Perth (Pauling) def South Perth (Mortley) 9-3 11-11
Previous Results
Round 1:
Section 1 –
Merrylands def. Edge Hill 5-8 8-3 3-0
Lockley’s def by. Belconnen 4-3 3-7 0-1
Section 2 –
South Perth (David Mortley) def. Bute 1-9 6-2 1-0
Ocean Grove def by. Enoggera 7-3 3-6 0-1
Section 3 –
Charlestown def by. East Launceston 4-5 5-7
South Perth (Pauling) def Essendon 6-4 6-5
Section 4 –
Beaumaris def. South Perth (Ross Bresland) 1-5 3-6
Harrington def. Darwin 2-8 6-4 2-0
Round 2:
Section 1 –
Belconnen def Merrylands 5-7 6-5 1-0
Lockleys def Edge Hill 5-2 14-7
Section 2 –
Bute def Ocean Grove 2-5 9-2 2-0
South Perth (Mortley) def Enoggera 8-8 8-3
Section 3 –
East Launceston def South Perth (Pauling) 5-3 4-3
Essendon def Charlestown 4-7 10-7 1-0
Section 4 –
South Perth (Bresland) def Darwin 8-7 6-3
Harrington def Beaumaris 10-2 4-4
Round 3:
Section 1 –
Lockleys def Merrylands 8-7 8-3
Edge Hill def Belconnen 8-8 8-7
Section 2 –
Enoggera def Bute 6-4 5-3
Ocean Grove def South Perth (Mortley) 6-9 6-1 1-0
Section 3 –
Charlestown def by South Perth (Pauling) 4-5 1-8
East Launceston def by Essendon 0-9 2-6
Section 4 –
Harrington def South Perth (Bresland) 6-5 8-6
Darwin def Beaumaris 9-2 4-3
Semi-Finals:
Belconnen def by South Perth (Mortley) 3-5 6-0 0-1
South Perth (Pauling) def Harrington 6-2 5-5
